The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Many vehicles employ resilient clips to secure various components to the vehicle body. One such application concerns interior panels that mount to the interior of the vehicle such as panels that mount onto the doors of the vehicle. Such panels serve not only to provide occupants with a convenient point to grasp during ingress to and egress from the vehicle, but also provide energy absorption during a crash event.
It is conventional procedure that the entire panel assembly is installed onto the interior of the vehicle in a single operation. In order to accomplish this assembly task, the panel assembly is typically equipped with numerous fasteners, located around the periphery of the panel assembly as well as at predetermined locations around the interior area of the panel, that are adapted to penetrate through corresponding holes located in the reinforcing sheet metal members of the vehicle interior. For aesthetic reasons, the panel fasteners are typically secured in some fashion to the backside of the panel so that they are not visible from the interior of the vehicle after the panel assembly is installed. Consequently, it is often incumbent upon the line operators to blindly “feel” for the location of the mounting holes with their fingers before pressing the fasteners into the holes from the opposite show-surface side of the panel.
If misalignments occur between the fasteners and their corresponding mounting holes during this panel-securing operation, some of the fasteners may not be properly seated. Not only do these misalignments reduce the overall security of the panels to the sheet metal, but they also may cause excessive noise or squeaking from movement of the fastener against the sheet metal as forces are transmitted through the vehicle when the vehicle is driven over bumps or other irregularities in the road; such movement generates acoustical vibrations heard as the noise or squeaking. Such noise or squeaking can be annoying to the driver and any passengers in the vehicle.
Lubrication may be used to prevent the noise; but some lubricants only temporarily reduce friction, and specific types of lubricants are undesirable for use with interior trim. For example, it may not be desirable to use a “wet” lubricant, such as oil or grease, near locations of fabric or leather upholstery since the “wet” lubricant might stain the upholstery. Such staining risk is further aggravated in some installation situations where, for example, a line operator's view of the fastening components becomes highly limited during panel installation as the fastening components are meshed or connected. While dry lubricating films do not stain the interior, they can be highly moisture sensitive and susceptible to corrosion.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for an improved fastener having a relatively low installation force, a relatively high removal force, and an improved (relative to the present approach and issues described above) tolerance to misalignments in a fastened assembly made through use of the fastener. It is further desirable that the fastener include a dry lubrication feature with improved features to reduce vibration noise, improve wear, and withstand the change of temperature and humidity within the vehicle under the operating conditions of the vehicle. Ideally, the fastener should be inexpensive to manufacture as well as being reliable and simple to install.